A blog about servers and junk

Home Made Lichtenberg Figures

Jan 1st, 2017

For winter 2016 I made
Lichenberg Figures.
I used a 5kV 10mA (50W) neon light transformer. I also experimented with
a 2kW microwave oven transformer, but found that the lower powered neon
transformer produced finer, better, and safer results.

To produce the figures, I would first apply the electricity to the wood, often
at the corners. Initially the resistance of the wood is not sufficient to allow
any burning. Then I would use a spray bottle full of water/baking soda to
moisten the surface of the wood until the electricity could find the path of
least resistance and start the burning reaction. With the low-power neon
transformer the burning is slow and takes hours.

To guide the reaction in an “aesthetically pleasing way”, I used a heat gun to
temporarily dry out parts of the wood, creating channels of low-resistance
surface water. This technique is most evident on piece #10. It was also
used on #15 to evenly cover the entire (large) piece.

After the electrical treatment, each piece was finished with varnish, matted,
framed, and shipped. Below is a gallery of final results. Each was given to a
friend or family member as a winter gift: